Montana poised for leadership during Year of Pulses

In the final days of 2013 the General Assembly of the United Nations voted to proclaim 2016 the International Year of Pulses.

More than just the declaration of a trendy new food item, the UN’s recognition of pulses (peas, beans and lentils) is intended to focus world attention on an often overlooked source of nutrition that is high in protein, environmentally sustainable and has the potential become an increasingly important food in the future, feeding hundreds of millions of people across the planet.

Pulses are also becoming one of Montana’s most important cash crops.

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“Pulse crops are one of the most sustainable crops a farmer can grow,” states a newsletter published by Columbia Grain, a leading exporter of American pulses. “It takes just 43 gallons of water to produce one pound of pulses, compared with 216 for soybeans and 368 for peanuts” and roughly 430 gallons for a pound of beef.

Pulses are also recognized for their ability to add nitrogen to the soil and improving its productivity. As a broad leaf plant, they are also resistant to a majority of insect pests and diseases that attack grassy plants. These characteristics; low soil water requirements, nitrogen contribution and disease resistance make pulses an ideal rotational crop for wheat and barley.

As the international demand for peas, beans and lentils has grown, Montana small grain farmers have increasingly turned to pulses as a rotational crop capable of providing an additional income stream.

From near zero production in the 1980s, dry edible pea, lentil and bean production has steadily grown in Montana. According to Department of Agriculture statistics, Montana farmers harvested more than 483,000 tons of pulse crops in 2014, with cash receipts exceeding $116 million.

“In 2005 is when Montana farmers really started producing pulses in a larger way; primarily in the northeast,” said Jeff VanPevenage, senior vice president for Columbia Grain. “Since then it has spread throughout Montana, and Montana has become the largest pea and lentil producing state in the United States.”

“Not only have the pulse crops become an important food source for national and international buyers, but the production enhancements have become extremely beneficial to reduce diseases, pests and weed problems in this state,” said Kim Falcon, bureau chief of agricultural development and marketing for the Montana Department of Agriculture.

The MDOA predicts that more than 1.2 million acres of Montana cropland could be planted into pulses by 2025. While adding 600,000-acres to the state’s pulse production might be desirable; finding sustainable markets for the additional 500,000 tons of peas, lentils and beans that land would produce could present a challenge.

“The bigger challenges will be in fully developing the marketing infrastructure to support this crop,” Miller said in a U.S. Department of Agriculture publication.

Roughly 85 percent of the pulses grown in the United States are shipped overseas. India and China are the largest importers of U.S. pulses, with markets expanding in Europe, South America and Africa. However, the greatest promise for the continued growth of the American pulse industry may lie in convincing U.S. consumers to make peas, beans and lentils a larger part of their diets.

“We actually consume more pulses in the United States in the form of dog food and cat food than what people in the United States eat,” said VanPevenage. “Pet food companies are now advertising that their products have vegetables in them, that they’re gluten free and that they’re GMO free (genetically modified organism) – all the things people should be eating. We’re happy to pay high dollars for that kind of stuff to feed our pets, but not to feed ourselves.”

The health benefits of pulses are indisputable. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, in most of the developing world pulses play a fundamental role as a low-fat, high-fiber source of protein – especially for populations who don’t have access to, cannot afford or choose not to eat animal products. In some low-income societies, pulses make up nearly 75 percent of the average person’s diet.

“I just returned from two weeks in India, where I had a pulse in every meal I ate; breakfast, lunch and dinner,” VanPevenage noted.

But they have been slow to catch on in the United States. David Oien, co-owner of Timeless Seeds notes that the average per capita consumption of lentils in India is roughly 33 pounds a year. In the United States its less than 10 ounces.

However, as Americans become more health conscious in the foods they select, nutritionists hope the domestic appetite for peas, beans and lentils will improve. That change may have already begun.

Nearly all of the U.S. production of garbanzo beans is now being consumed domestically, much of it going toward satisfying Americans’ new found taste for hummus. The 2014 farm bill includes an annual $25 million appropriation to conduct research into the health and nutritional benefits of pulse crops, while the school Pulse Crop Products Program allocates $2 million a year to buy and introduce dry peas, lentils, chickpeas and dry beans into the nation’s school food programs.

“I don’t know if I could be any more excited about this category of food,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council in an interview for Think Progress digital magazine. “This recognition is terrific for the industry and pulse farmers, but overall it’s important for the world. We have to have more focus on these crops.”

The benefits of that increased focus could extend beyond human health to include the environmental and economic health of Montana’s ag economy.